Why I am not a vegan, vegetarian or a follower of Paleo
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Eating fun food with the hubby. Yes, my husband looks like a male Ethiopian version of me. Don't worry, we're not related :)
You might find me eating chicken.
You may catch me having cheese!
You WILL NOT find me eating pork (I just know too much about pigs).
While I DON'T eat land walking animal meats these days and eat as though I'm a pescatarian (a vegetarian who eats fish), it's not totally unforseeable that I may break that rule in the future.
Dairy is not my friend (AT ALL) but I don't mind butter.
As a health care practitioner, I encourage those I work with to eat organic whole foods when possible. Depending on the goals of the individual, I may recommend that they eat gluten free, reduce or eliminate dairy, or remove meat from their diet. Moreover, some do really well eating Paleo. Low glycemic eating has worked wonders for me at managing my weight and blood sugar and I recommend it often (Shed the Pounds is based on it).
The moral of the story...
The best eating regimen is the one that works best for you.
So much depends on the individual's make up and health goals. I OFTEN get asked if I'm vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, etc. I currently don't eat meat because it does contribute to acidity (promoting inflammation) and my current health goal is to reduce inflammation in my body. Moreover, the biggest reason I don't eat meat and may soon eliminate fish is due to the horrific conditions and terrible treatment of animals in our current agricultural system. Animals are not well, stressed out and abused. I refuse to be part of a system that would do that.... but I digress ;)
What I usually tell people who ask how I eat is that I don't love labels but I do
LOVE FOOD!
I choose to eat in a way that builds my body but also satisfies my soul ;)
Here are some guidelines that I follow and you can, too...
1) Differentiate FUN FOODS from HEALTH BUILDING.
(For example, both the cheesecake dessert I had for Easter and the vegan cookie are fun foods for me because they have way more sugar than I generally consume in one item and are not nutrient dense. A health building food would be the delicious quinoa salad with tomotoes, arugula, bell peppers and avocado with a lemon vinaigrette I had for lunch. It's full of nutrients, low glycemic and feeds my cells.
I strive for about 80-90% health building foods.)
2) Are the foods you're eating getting you closer to your health, wellness and fitness goals or moving you away from them?
3) Is this way of eating something you can sustain long term?
That's it! It's really simple for me after years of diet modification. It IS a process of self discovery and experimentation to finally land on a way of eating that works BEST FOR YOU. It's okay to explore. Just do it with health in mind.
I hope this has been helpful for you.
Blessings...
